Between the Lines
by Ayu-Dev
Summary: Soujiro can have any girl he so desires, his guild is a harem. Even so, there's only one person he wants to get close to, and he's not even sure it's the same situation for the other male. WARNING: Spoilers for the manga "Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade"('rapey' scenes (Chpt 2), mature content) / Lemons in later chapters/ Yaoi (Boy's Love). Please review for more content thanks!
1. Chapter 1 Debauchery Tea Party

As they all decided to get back to their respective guilds (those who had one/were in one), they all smiled as they split their earnings from the defeated dungeon amongst each other. Their party was already reaching the point of legendary, and not even the strategist of said party knew where things were going to go from here, aside from meeting up the following day for yet another adventure.

Before Shiroe had the chance to flee the scene to find somewhere for his avatar to sleep (who knows what Kanami would try getting him to do, he did have his class that he... reluctantly had to attend) he heard the familiar noise of the telepathy. It was Soujiro. "Shiro-senpai..." the ladies' man started, with his usual cheerful smile. "... stay safe, okay?" Chuckling to himself, he answered the Samurai the way he usually did.

"I'll be fine. I'd just rather have one night where I'd actually get some sleep, I've got a class tomorrow." He sighed as he finally found a comfortable place for his avatar to lay rest while he, himself, rested and prepared for class.

He could still hear the telepathy going... was he laughing? "The same as always, good night Shiro-senpai." The conversation ended. Logging out of Elder Tales, Kei put his computer to rest while he tried doing the same.

~*~ Next Day ~*~

It wasn't long before he became anxious. Checking the time over and over again on the computer, he watched for the Enchanter to show up, knowing he was a good ten minutes late, he wondered if maybe he had some homework to do before he got online... still... it wasn't like him.

Just as he was about to check the status of his friend via friend's list, a figure popped up beside him on his screen. In his usual cloak, he apologized for his tardiness. "Apparently Naotsugu-san is a creepy stalker and found out where I went to school and decided to surprise me..." He said as Soujiro nearly spat out his water _'they knew each other outside Elder Tales?'_ he was immediately interrupted from his thoughts going any further when the Guardian himself showed up, using voice chat as per usual.

"Oi! Shiro, aren't I a good detective?" He laughed as his character began moving, almost as if he was trying to taunt the Enchanter. Turning off the Telepathy and just switching to an open voice chat.

"So you ARE a creepy stalker, eh Naotsugu-san." Soujiro laughed as the chat went silent for only a moment.

"Not stalker, detective. Get it right Soujiro-chan." He said teasingly as his character pounded his fists against the chest plate of his armour.

They chattered like this for several minutes while waiting at their post for the remaining Debauchery Tea Party members to arrive. Soujiro enjoyed the company, and was genuinely glad that these people he became so close to in the party, were alright people even in life outside Elder Tales. That's when he started to wonder if he was close enough to meet the Enchanter in person, despite knowing that the other male was, pretty much, an hikikomori, he would gladly just meet at his house if it meant meeting Shiroe. Although he didn't quite know why he had this urge to meet him. Friendship maybe? Someone that wasn't female? Quite a good possibility. He chuckled to himself, not realizing that he was, once again, lost in his own thoughts as the chat room became silent again.

"Well, everyone is here, we should head out and kick some butt, what do you guys think?" Kanami said chuckling as her avatar began dancing between the rest of the members of the legendary party.

"Let's get ourselves some Griffins to take us home after!" Naotsugu exclaimed as everyone laughed and nodded in agreement as they entered yet another dungeon.

After some time, and thinking they didn't really have a lot of progress to speak of, they managed to go from one boss to another, it was hard work with something that was, clearly meant for more people, but it could be done. With the help of Nazuna and Saki, their health never really went down too much before the necessary attention was given to each individual.

A couple of days later they sat in-front of the door, which they suspected was the final part of the dungeon, and decided to rest, get everyone to full strength and make sure each person didn't have something that took them away from the computer. Players went one at a time, making sure that if anything happened before they were all done what they needed to do, at least a group of people would be there protecting the still bodies.

Some people were asked to leave their posts for family dinners and what not, so only a handful of people remained waiting at the front gates, including the Enchanter and the Samurai. As Shiroe made a couple of plans in regards to how to approach this particular boss, as much as Soujiro didn't quite understand most of what the party's strategist said planning wise, he still looked over his shoulder to admire the work of an intelligent mind. "I hope you don't mind, it's fascinating seeing the scribe subclass work their magic." the younger male admitted, smiling brightly at his computer screen.

"Quite alright, I like this particular subclass, makes certain obstacles less of a hassle when dealing with some of the rules of Elder Tales. Although it'd be a lot more useful if the game was one of those... that you see often in manga where you're in the game, feeling and seeing everything as if you were there. The copying function would make much more sense in those types of games." Letting his character do it's own thing, he decided to see how much homework was left, considering it would be a while before anyone else was back from their dinner.

"Naotsugu-san was talking about his work getting busier, in fact, a couple of other people in the party are saying similar things. Is this really going to be the last one we do, as a part of the Debauchery Tea Party?" Asking Shiroe more out of concern of him being one of those people about to become inactive on the Elder Tales network of players, the person controlling the Samurai player known as Soujiro was trying to see if he could consider joining his guild.

Sighing, Kei didn't quite know how to respond to his worried friend on the other line in the chat. "I'm not quite sure, I know this will be Naotsugu-san's last adventure, I haven't heard from anyone else yet, I just know he was mentioning it earlier today and that was the reason he met up with me in person."

Trying to ask the question he didn't quite know how to ask, he decided to be direct. "Shiro-senpai?" He started.

"Yes Soujiro-chan?"

"I know you're usually a solo player aside from this party, but if this party ever disbands, would you like to join my guild? I normally wouldn't ask, but I thought I'd give it a shot, then at least some of the Debauchery Tea Party members would be together." Heavily sighing, his heart was pounding, _'why am I overreacting to such a simple question, we're still on each other's friend's list...'s._

Smiling to the computer screen, Kei realized the proposal that his friend was offering him... but after the last experience with that last one... "I'm sorry Soujiro, I don't think I'm fit to be in a guild at the current time. It's not that I don't appreciate the offer, I'm just declining for now." He said, trying to be as apologetic as possible while rejecting the offer his friend gave him.

Sighing he almost half knew that would be the answer, he just didn't want to admit it to himself. "My offer is always there if you change your mind Shiro-senpai."

"Thank you Soujiro-chan. I'll keep that in mind." They both smiled at their separate computer screens, the guild leader of the West Wind Brigade knew he was at least one step closer to the Strategist than he was a few days ago.

~*~ Two Days Later~*~

Finally, finishing that battle, they were making their way home, and everyone agreed with how busy people were starting to become, they all kept everyone's contact information from the party. Even without that exchange, Nazuna and Saki still decided to join Soujiro's guild and most of the people would keep in touch through telepathy each day. Considering only a few people were stacked with work, and those who weren't, were obviously still going to be online. Soujiro still didn't have any idea if Shiroe was going to be one of those people to disappear from the gaming world that was Elder Tales.

To cover as much distance as they could using their new flutes, they made it so they switched between Griffins, two people on each. Despite the women in the party's dismay, the Samurai climbed with the Enchanter. Since they were both going to be heading in the same direction right away, they all found it best to just mount with the person going in the same direction. They could have used Fairy Rings to get back to their respective areas, but everyone agreed that the Griffins NEEDED to be shown off at least once. So the long way it was.

The two chatted up a storm about everything, from what they had for dinner, to what the outside world was like where they lived. Shiroe talked about his life in school, and how he was close to finishing and finding a career to call his own. One more year left, and he felt like that'd go by incredibly quickly. Soujiro explained a couple of things in his life, but mostly that about his guild and how he really (honestly) didn't understand how and why it was growing so fast.

"Seems like just yesterday I had maybe two people in it other than myself. There's not much happening outside the game world here..." He shrugged as he noticed them creeping closer and closer to their destination point, where they would part ways. Soujiro dreaded that particular point in time, considering he had no idea when they'd be meeting next, if the older man's schooling didn't catch up with him.

Noticing it was about the right time to dismount from said Griffins, their time to ride them was coming to a close as they finally decided to land, just a few feet from the town of Akiba, where Soujiro's guild had finally settled, and where most of Shiroe's acquaintances stayed (in the guild hall).

Later that evening, the leader of the West Wind Brigade was just paying attention to the ever growing number of guild members when he received a message from the text chat. Intrigued, he decided that the calm time would be the best time to open said message. Noticing who it was from Shiroe, he thought he was finally accepting his request that he made two days ago, noticing that the subject had nothing on the details of said request made his heart sink slightly, only until he opened the message and realized what the contents were.

It was the contact information that the only other person who had said info, was Naotsugu. He almost didn't know how to react other than to leave his computer to get a cup of tea, to calm himself down to get ready for sleep. He even specified a meeting time and everything which he could more than do, he had nothing else really to do for the rest of the year (or so he thought, he never knew what would happen). Jumping towards the opportunity to do something he was wanting to do for a while (although he just assumed he wanted to meet the all the friends that he shared so much conversation with while with the Debauchery Tea Party), it didn't take long for him to message the Enchanter back. The moment the two knew they were both still online, a telepathy call ensued between the two as they began making some decent plans on where to meet.

Soujiro knew it was going to take some time considering he didn't live quite that close to Shiroe, but he thought it was worth it considering even if they lost touch online, they would be able to contact each other in the world outside Elder Tales. As they made their plans, the hours flew by as they looked online, seeing what route would be the quickest, and most convenient for both parties (although the younger male didn't really mind either way, he was more concerned about recognition, would he recognize the other male once they were looking for each other at the train station?).

Telling each other their real names, they figured if they really didn't recognize the other person, they could look by calling names (Shiroe really just wanted to cut all obstacles from appearing when they're trying to look for each other, although he was quite sure Soujiro would recognize him). Once that was settled, they looked at the time, and realized it was almost morning of the next day (whoops).

Chuckling to himself quietly, the person known for playing as the Samurai said his goodnights as they both decided to put their characters (and themselves) to rest.

"Good night, Soujiro-chan." Kei rubbed his eyes as the conversation came to a close.

~*~ Three days later~*~

Exam time came to a close, so Kei's heavy course load was done, at least for a month or so. Although he had made plans days ago, he still dreaded the thought of going outdoors. He'd have to get ready to go out, find something... to wear (looking at what he was wearing didn't help his case much, typical stay at home gamer attire), he'd have to deal with the general populous (good with online people... and Naotsugu, not really that great with strangers...), and it would be a little longer than having a cup of coffee or heading to class.

Although he wouldn't admit it to himself, he felt bad for the rejection. He really wasn't interested in being in any guilds after his horrid experience with the last one, he'd rather be a solo player with certain parties he'd do stuff with. That was what fun meant to him in terms of being a veteran player of a game like Elder Tales. He wanted the younger male to realize it really wasn't his fault, he just asked at a really, really bad time (in other words, he thought he'd make up for the rejection of joining his guild by meeting up with him, maybe making a friendship outside of the game).

Unsure of what he would wear, he saw a lot of the same thing in his closet, sweats and hoodies. Searching through his wardrobe, he finally found something somewhat better than what he wore at home. Yeah Kei really... really didn't like the fabric of said pants, he thought he'd be able to live with them for a couple of hours. Putting them on with a t-shirt he had also found in his closet, he noted the weight he seemed to have lost "Well... that was unexpected..." to the point where he actually had to find a belt for said pants. He already was having issues going outside... his clothes were not helping his case.

~*~ Soujiro's place ~*~

Unlike Shirogane's situation, Soujiro had an interesting time picking things once he found something to wear, something else caught his attention. Before he realized it, the younger male was surrounded by his own clothing. After much thought, he thought about what would be the best in comfort in this weather, and finally narrowed it down to one outfit. "Geez... took me long enough..." He said as he rushed everything else, quickly grabbing his wallet and bolting out the door before anyone could ask where he went.

Making sure he still had Kei's number on his phone, he notified the friend that he was on his way to the train station and although it would be hours before they would actually meet up, his stomach churned, flopping this way and that.

~*~Shirogane Kei's place ~*~

Seeing the usual site of his phone vibrating, he looked at the message to see Soujiro was already well on his way. Heavily sighing, the hikikomori in him didn't want to go outside, but the friendly part in him won this time as he was already dressed and put the effort into looking at least more decent than his usual college attire.

Grabbing his essentials, he knew if he took his time, he would still be at the train station before Soujiro, so he didn't rush (he liked not rushing to any extent, considering his brain liked to contemplate staying home even now). While he fumbled for his stuff slowly, he realized the other piece of contact info that Soujiro had given him days beforehand. His email, Skype, and other social networking stuff, for more online contact. "Well... while I wait..." He did just that, looked him up on there... almost cheating considering he'd find out what he looked like beforehand.

"I'll add the Skype and email first, no pictures right?" Shirogane said justifying his actions as he opened up his computer and, for the first time, didn't set up Elder Tales (took a lot of strength to avoid that familiar icon on his desktop). When he added the email, the first thing that popped up was in his email calendar. "Hmm?" Checking that, because he hadn't had any notifications from that calendar in what seemed like years.

It was Soujiro's birthday. It was tomorrow. Like the timing couldn't have been more perfect. "Well, now I definitely have an excuse to go outside today..." He sighed as he decided to leave his place earlier than anticipated.

Deciding to skip the bus and walk, he realized that he was quickly tired out, "this is what I get for not going outside... at all..." he said out loud to himself as he slowly made his way to the station.

Soujiro was on the bus (finally) well on his way to the train station. It'd take him a good half hour to 45 minutes to get there considering traffic could get ridiculous real quickly. His heart skipped a beat when his phone vibrated in his pocket, quickly grabbing it, he noticed a message, confirming that it definitely was the right number, and that he was walking down... wait...

Kei would be there for a good hour before Soujiro got to the train station, let alone the stop he needed to get off at. Frantically texting the older male, he looked around out the windows of the crowded bus to see how close they were to the station... still a good 20 minutes. He didn't want to keep him waiting there forever, he felt bad. Heart sinking slowly, he felt a pit form where his stomach once was and waited for a response.

'It's okay, I'm walking, it'll take me a little longer to get there anyways. Need the exercise apparently...' Soujiro calmed down and chuckled to himself.

They texted back and forth, just to keep time flowing, although Kei seemed to take forever to respond, the dark haired male didn't seem to care, he was just happy that this was actually happening despite how far he is from the other male's house.

He almost ran full tilt for the train when he got off the bus, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to catch the earliest train he could. ALMOST missing one, he managed to push his way through. _'Man I wish I had the same body and endurance that I do in Elder Tales... that run would have been nothing for his character...'_ He laughed as he struggled to catch his breath.

~*~An hour later~*~

He didn't wait too long before he saw a train pop up. He didn't think Soujiro would be coming out of there considering how worried he was about his timing leaving his house vs Soujiro's. Although shortly afterwards he received a text, looking at his phone, he didn't even get the change to read what the text was before he felt something, someone tug on his sleeve. Turning around, he was shocked at how much he looked like his character in game (face and height wise yes... everything else... completely different). Noting how much changes he had made to his character, he blushed, embarrassed.

"Shiro-senpai?" His voice and the honorifics gave him away before anything else had a chance to settle in. It was definitely Soujiro. Realizing he was just gazing down at the male, he decided he wouldn't keep the male waiting.

"... That was awfully fast considering how worried you seemed on the phone..." he commented, seeing the relief spread across the younger male's face. He was more than grateful considering he really hated the crowds... even after only a few minutes he was starting to feel claustrophobic. "Can we go somewhere... less crowded..."

Noting the awkward-ness of the tea party's Enchanter, he smiled shyly. "Sure, you know this area a little better than I do, where do you want to go?"

Realizing that the younger male didn't seem to click that his own birthday was the next day, he decided to take total advantage of that very thing. A surprise perhaps? He was officially being tested on his strategist-like movements outside of Elder Tales... he thought he could manage considering he didn't know too much about Soujiro, but he did mention how much he loves fish and tea. So... pretty much any place in town was good food-wise. As for anything else... he'd probably have to let the younger male lead the way... in Kei's neighbourhood.

Once they exited the station, it seemed to die right down, the crowds seem to be next to nonexistent. Excited to finally be in this area, Soujiro knew things in the vicinity, but only because he heard from other classmates (or the times that Naotsugu would boast about going to this place and that). "Anyplace in particular you would like to go? I assume that none of us have eaten anything yet... maybe lunch?" Looking around, he noticed that he had completely forgotten to eat anything before getting ready to leave, and his stomach was trying to silently remind him of this.

Nodding, Kei began talking about the many places in the vicinity to eat as the younger male just walked beside him, nodding his head and, almost just listening to the older male talking. As they walked, all the smells and sounds of the small area were enticing. They both spoke of the past times, and were genuinely sad to see the Debauchery Tea Party disband, but at the same time, they understood the circumstances. At least the two were able to see each other even now, to Soujiro's excitement that left his stomach dancing around both of hunger and nervousness... the second feeling he didn't really understand. They have had these kind of conversations before, it's just now they're face to face instead of via voice chat.

Smelling the incredible aroma emanating from the building in front of them, the shorter male recognized it the moment it hit his senses. As they both entered the restaurant, Shirogane tried to be as nice as he could and hide the discomfort of being in public with so many people. Soujiro noticed the nice gestures here and there, from opening the door from him, to letting him pick where to sit, blushing, he sat down by the window of the little cafe they decided to make their way to. Watching the younger boy's eyes scan the menu the tea party's strategist smiled, completely at ease, catching himself, he started up yet another conversation with the male across the table from him while glancing out the window.

Noticing the small talk, Soujiro already knew what he wanted and got excited because nearly no place in his area carried this particular dish. Smiling, he checked his phone to see that his bank account was on par with what he wanted to do today. He noticed once more after looking up how awkward the situation seemed to be for the older male... almost like he was uncomfortable. "Shiro-senpai... are you feeling okay?" Putting his menu down, he reached across the small table to put a hand on the older male's shoulder as their eyes met.

"Oh... sorry, yeah I prefer the indoors... haven't actually been out in a while since that one day Naotsugu-san met up with me after class..." Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to be honest with his friend about the feelings that were brewing on the inside. He liked hanging out with Soujiro, but he didn't like this whole concept of being outdoors... for any reason.

As much as he knew it was the strategist's idea, he still felt bad for dragging the guy outside his comfort zone. "I-I'm sorry... we could leave and go back to mine or your place... if you wou-"

Shaking his head, Kei chuckled slightly, "Don't worry about it, it was me that decided to have a hang out outdoors, I knew what I was getting into when we talked on the phone. Although mind you after this I would like to get away from the crowds for awhile at least..." lightly chuckling to himself, he did appreciate the gesture and would take him up on the offer... but he felt bad for making him worry.

The lingering feeling of guilt still hung over Soujiro, but he kept reminding himself of the same thing Shirogane was telling him moments earlier. His stomach was doing back flips to the thought of Shiroe being over at his house. His family wasn't home for the weekend, shaking his head to stop his thoughts from wondering. He still couldn't figure out why his brain was acting this way towards a friend, but he shrugged it off, smiling while waiting for the food and enjoying the good conversation that helped keep both of their minds from thinking about the nerves.

After they finished eating, they made their way back to the enchanter's home (because it was closer, and less crowded on the way...). Soujiro almost couldn't contain his excitement, he was torn between wanting to meet his parents, to wanting no one else to be around. He chuckled nervously to himself as the older male opened the door and gestured him to stepped inside.

"At the moment no one is home, but that shouldn't be a thing for too long, make yourself at home." Half smiling, Kei didn't know what to think of the two of them being alone in his home, not even Naotsugu had visited him at home, like, his friend knew where he lived, but had never attempted to come inside to explore.

In other words, he had no idea how to host guests in his own home. He didn't want to be too clear on it (he felt too embarrassed to even attempt to say anything, so the room was pretty silent already). So ignoring the stomach flipping, he showed Soujiro around the place, only to make sure he knew where the bathrooms were and where to get food if necessary. He already had some green tea ready to go when they got home, so he decided to pour both of them a glass. Weather personally didn't stop him from having it, and he knew it didn't stop the younger male either when he noticed how intrigued he was at the amount that was made.

Sitting down on a couch eventually, they both began talking about the other members of the Debauchery Tea Party, which Soujiro couldn't remember most of them for the life of him. Except for the obvious people... like the butt-hurt strategist Indix. Shirogane's opinion of her was next to nothing because he clearly didn't remember her, but Soujiro knew what she was about... and kind of didn't like her. Once Shiroe took over as the tea party's strategist, she was gunning for him ever since. Although if the man himself didn't care, why should his samurai friend... right? Still didn't stop him from doing it anyways as they lightened the mood slightly to the new expansion they were all desperately waiting for. A good year or so wait that they really didn't want to wait for.

"... but if they bring it out now, it'll ruin their reputation, no?" He had a great point, and it was that point that made it worth the wait. Elder Tales had a brilliant reputation with the existing players on their updating and keeping up with the times. Submitting an expansion pack too early could mean glitches that could have easily been avoided with ease. They're not like every other game for a reason.

Hours went by as they continued talking about their daily lives and sipping tea, ever so often refilling their glasses as their nervousness slipped away. Noticing the time hours later, Soujiro did realize he had to leave, his family was expecting him to be home at some point. Thanking him for the birthday brunch and the conversation, he didn't get to meet Shirogane's family (regrettably so...). Walking the young man out to the train, they skipped the idea of taking the bus, the cool air was refreshing for both people.

As the walk continued, they walked in silence as Soujiro contemplated a way to thank him for today without being too obvious. He, honestly, dreaded the fact that his mind was jumping around, acting like the girls do at his school (and on Elder Tales), and he could have any girl he wanted, his parents knew that... didn't stop his mind from wanting something he knew he couldn't have. He had to at least come to terms with it, and maybe move on to someone else (or so he hoped it would be that easy).

Looking at the train station, the time slipped by once more as they waited for a train. His body became so stiff he didn't think he could walk another step, let alone turn to thank Kei for his hospitality.

"Happy Birthday..." He smiled, noticing how nervous the shorter male was as they waited for the train to arrive. The schedule said ten minutes, so he might as well make the air less heavy and tense. He knew something was on the other male's mind, but couldn't quite place what could be bothering him... but he knew something was. He was never really good with comfort, receiving or giving, so he had next to no idea how to be in these scenarios. He was also never really all that good with relationships outside of the online world, so keeping friends was something he... generally didn't do (let alone having anything more than friendship... that seemed like way more effort than the heartbreak that would ensue).

However, not everything went unnoticed. He may push people away from getting far too close to him, but that didn't mean he didn't notice Soujiro's constant blushing response to the last few hours worth of conversation. Smiling, he thought it was cute, considering it looked like he wasn't used to being the one that was flustered (he saw the boy's harem, those girls get bashful quite quickly at the slightest glance from the Samurai in game). He felt bad, however, because he looked worried about something.

Then it hit him all at once, he felt really stupid and oblivious. "Th-Thanks Shiro-senpai." He spoke while looking straight ahead of him, smiling and hiding everything, all the nerves that have been trying to surface for... who knows how long.

Trying to strike up some small talk before the train arrived, he asked some questions about Soujiro's birthday, like what his plans were for the actual birthday celebration tomorrow. Simple stuff seemed to put the younger male at ease finally as Kei noticed his shoulders loosen up.

It wasn't long before he noticed the two of them only had another two minutes before the train was expected to arrive. Knowing just how uneasy the younger male was basically transferred to the uneasiness that Shiroe now felt as he tried to think of an instant solution to his problem, he didn't want their friendship to be diminished by one simple encounter. He contemplated this for quite sometime, about what he would do if this were to ever happen (because being horrible at dealing with people doesn't mean it won't happen anyways, got to be prepared for all outcomes), and thought of a solution, that may or may not fix the ever growing tension that hovered.

But... before he could muster up the courage, the train was in sight. Taking a deep breath, he noticed Soujiro turn around and walk to stand in front of him. Well, if he was going to figure out how to be in these scenarios, he better start now, he was twenty-four years old, it had to happen at some point (or so the hikikomori thought to himself as an excuse for what he was about to do).

As he was pulled in for a hug, Soujiro's face burned, he was not expecting that at all. Wrapping his arms around the older, slender male he smiled warmly at the thought of a good friendship starting (his mind was thinking more, but he kept shoving that to the back part of his brain, hoping it would just curl up and die). That warm and fuzzy feeling quickly took over as the short bodily contact ended, but Shirogane's hands remained on the younger male's shoulder. "Thank you for today, sorry for all the tension, I'm getting better at that..." He said with a smile.

Nodding his head, he was speechless and frozen still once more. Tension? He noticed, not that Soujiro noticed how much the other male paid attention, he realized it a little too late as their lips met for a split second. Letting his hands move before anymore thoughts could process the situation, he held the tea party's strategist in that spot, face burning. Hearing the train pull up to it's spot to let people on, they separated and waved their farewells. Soujiro's heart was officially in his stomach as he became super excited about the times that were to come, little did he know what was to come next.


	2. Chapter 2 Apocalypse

No matter how many women swarmed the younger boy's guild, there was always that thought on his mind. They spoke over voice chat a few more times, but then Shiroe seemed to have school catch up with him in a serious way... they only got to see each other online after that, and then he slowly became less and less active. It sucked, but Soujiro tried to understand the circumstance, that he really didn't see it coming and thought he'd be a more active member of Elder Tales, like he always was.

Now that they were completely stuck in the game with no real way out... he checked his friend's list. Sure enough, the older male's name appeared online. Although he had his own guild to take care of, he wondered how safe the Enchanter was, he was always on the Samurai's mind.

"Soujiro-kun... Hellooooo?" Nazuna waved her hand in front of his face, snapping him out of yet another moment of being completely lost in his thoughts. "Welcome back to the real world... or at least... what we're stuck in now." She smiled and patted him on the head.

Making sure everyone was safe, if someone were to leave the guild for any amount of time without contact, he would try to contact them. Noticing this was the case with Isami and Sara. Calling Isami, she seemed to be annoyed, almost angry... but she was safe, right? He thought he'd let her take some time to sort of her stuff... although he was still worried as to how some of the other people would behave in this lawless world.

Not moments later, he was told of a commotion in town... he wouldn't of basically ran out the door as fast as his legs would take him, if it wasn't for who was involved in the commotion... Isami and Sara. He felt like he was obligated to watch them, and failed in doing so as he prepared for whatever would happen once he got there... and it wasn't long before he noticed what was going on.

Two men were... ready to assault the NPC, Sara... while the Royal Guards came down... to attack Isami? Increasing his speed all the more, he managed to block the Royal Guard's attack. _'Why are they attacking them and not the people assaulting Sara... they're defending themselves... how is that a crime punishable by death?'_ Not letting his thoughts of confusion distract him, he noticed the blocked attack caused his sword to break, becoming pretty much useless. Before the Royal Guards could make another move, he physically removed the members of Hamelin from the scene, making it that much easier for the girls to escape back to their guild building. Though he was not able to fend them off for very long before he was hit with quite the fatal blow himself, _'well, this is how we find out what death is like here... is it forever... or like it was when we were just playing around on the computer...'_ He lost consciousness shortly after.

Walking around the familiar city... he noticed a few things seemed to be missing, not that he could remember what it was. It was like he was seeing things from a different person's perspective as he noticed his former self walk around the familiar streets, what did he do that day that the game thought was of significance?

Noticing his direction was towards a bus away from home, he figured it was probably an outing with a few friends from school. The girls always invited him out to all sorts of different events. He got on the bus with his real body... it was weird seeing himself and not being in front of a mirror. Looking around, he noticed more things missing, his phone... didn't seem like the right colour, but he couldn't place what the actual colour of his phone was... _'weird, it hasn't even been a month yet and I'm already forgetting this much?'_ Basically alone with his thoughts, he decided to let whatever memory it was, continue on. However, it wasn't very much longer before he realized where he was headed, he had past his friend's house, along with the usual place where him and the group of girls usually met up. Arriving at the train station, things seemed to have been sped up, _'this can't be my life flashing before my eyes... kind of too late for that, kind of already dead...'_ still unsure of why he was being brought back to this particular memory, he kept following himself until reaching the one person he really wanted to see since the Apocalypse, Shiroe, or as his real name, Kei Shirogane.

Letting the memory play out, that day, was the first and last time he had seen him, he wished there could have been more events. Shiroe apologized over and over again for not being able to hang out more, and instead, they texted back and forth for months. He blamed himself for that day, but noticing the outcome from an outside stand point, he noticed how Kei was behaving then, too.

Standing in front of the two of them, Soujiro noticed the worried look on the older male's face as he stared down at the extremely nervous, tense bodied male beside him. It was almost like they were both going through the motions in their head at the same time... he felt bad, but this made him realize something about that particular day... his feelings weren't as one-sided as he originally had thought.

As the rest of the memory played out, he knew it was trying to inform him on something, or help him remember why he became even more active on Elder Tales... the only reason he was online when the expansion pack kicked in was because he was informed, by the same friend, that it would be that night. They texted back and forth about where to meet up once he was doing meeting up with the twins he was kindly helping get adjusted to the game.

Of course the memory ended way before the pack kicked in...

Staring at the white ceiling, he noticed the familiar echo all around him from the running water. Sitting up, he noticed he was back in his avatar's body, _'Am I at the cathedral... I thought I was dead for sure...'_ Noticing that he was indeed back in game mode, he looked to check his stats on himself, making sure he was okay again. Hearing the door burst open, Isami (along with the other guild members) came running towards him, she seemed to be crying so hard she couldn't breathe.

Finally making her way towards her guild master, she stopped. "I'm... so sorry... Soujiro-san... I thought... you were... going to... die forever..." unable to form full sentences, he hugged the crying girl in front of him, wiping her tears from her face, while everyone else sighed in relief to him being alive and well.

"I'm here now, right? At least we know what happens when we die here, right?" Trying to lighten the mood, he continued to help her feel better about the whole scenario. "I'm just glad you're okay, that's all I was worried about. Let's get back to our home, okay?" He said getting up back on his feet. Walking towards the building where the West Wind Brigade resided, he was more relieved than anything to see Isami and Sara still okay.

As time passed, the Pking worsened... which drove Soujiro nearly mad with anger, because he assumed it was his fault for showing people the immortality that each and every Adventurer possessed. While trying to stop it from happening he ran into a very shady character and while trying to save the twins, who seemed to be trapped inside this hostile guild, he ran into his own set of problems.

"I love you Soujiro-san... I want you all to myself..." Feeling arms wrap around him, he struggled to break free, only to realize that he was having a difficult time moving around much. "You should join me, you and I are the one and the same."

Finally letting him fall to the ground, the auburn haired male bent down to whisper in the boy's ear. "It should be kicking in any minute now, you were drenched in a poison I made myself, so I know you won't be able to move much..." He began explaining why Soujiro struggled to do anything aside from lie there, helpless.

"I can do anything I want to you, the Royal Guards can't help you... and right now as we speak, neither can your team mates." While he felt the paralysis slowly seep through his entire body, Soujiro tried to fight it off to no avail as the character Magus started really trying to do whatever he so desired to the younger male. Until now, not even the busy city that he lived in for his whole life had made him feel this scared and unsafe... he wanted to help his guild members, but he wanted to be saved.

He wanted Shiroe to stop this mad man from putting his hands where they don't belong. It seemed like time had stopped while this man's body was hovering over Soujiro's, until one of his party members snatched him up, healing him of whatever potion that was in the process. The fight eventually ended with the group of people dispersing, and him apologizing to Minori and Tohya for being very unable to rescue them. Apologizing to his guild for being very unable to protect them, Nazuna soothed him "You needed protecting this time Soujiro-kun. We can't really consider ourselves your party members, your guild members if we can't fight to protect our GM, no?"

Walking back, he kept his eyes out for that... shady character he was poisoned by. Being almost afraid of his own shadow for a while, he didn't dare go outdoor except while being accompanied by two or more of his guild's members. Same policy went for the girls that resided in the West Wind Brigade. He didn't want anyone else being "close call sexually assaulted", knowing that the Royal Guards don't consider that to be harmful, and something to be punishable by imprisonment. Every other woman in the guild understood his terms and followed them to a key, to make sure every person was safe from bodily harm.

Days, weeks, months flew by as they continued to investigate things inside their guild halls, and outside the city walls. Monsters were the same, fighting was different, but in a good, easy sense.

After a day of hard training, although everyone knew their bodies had an auto-clean function, he still enjoyed a good dip in the hot springs every once in a while. That night, was one of those nights were he needed to feel at ease again with the situation hanging over his head, like a ticking time bomb. He didn't realize how much time had really passed since then... until he heard his telepathy chat ring-tone in his ears. He couldn't believe the name that popped up, "Shiroe". Quickly answering the call, the older male apologized for not getting to him sooner, and asked him about the situation of the city.

"Not good Shiroe. It's almost anarchy... no laws, no rules... we're keeping our people close here at my guild because of how bad the Pking is getting." he said, trying not to think about Magus. That particular encounter still gave him nightmares.

"Would you like to meet up at the train station of Akiba? There's something that I need to ask of you. I think I have a plan of how to change the conditions of Akihabara." That voice... sounding so reassuring, and this reassuring voice was talking about a plan to change Akiba for the better.

"Just let me get ready, I'll be there in ten minutes Shiro-senpai." Feeling a smile spread across his face, he was more than a little excited to see this man again... how long had it been? He was totally unaware of what time of the year it was, although he was sure someone was keeping track if it wasn't him.

"Thank you Soujiro-chan. I'll be there waiting, there's no reason to hurry." He explained as Soujiro was already half dressed and getting ready to leave. He loved the auto functions for his long hair dried in seconds, with ease.

Getting off the phone with the Debauchery Tea Party's Strategist, he didn't take any time explaining to people who he was meeting up with, and how close he would be to their building.

"We'll be watching you from the rooftop here, because it's close enough that I can just jump towards you if you're in a bind." Dolce smiled as everyone else gave Soujiro the thumbs up.

"We'll be here waiting for your return, Soujiro-kun." Nazuna reassured him that everyone would be safe as he made his way out the door to see the male he has been waiting to see for months at least.

Shiroe had been through his own series of events. He felt bad for not contacting the Samurai sooner, but it looked like every time he got the chance, the younger male was busy with his own guild business. Now he needed Soujiro's help to help assemble the Round Table, and he knew Soujiro would be the right person to help with this particular portion.

After Soujiro arrived, him, Shiroe, and Nyanta all talked about the plan that has been set in motion. Before the Enchanter could say why he wanted Soujiro to do a certain task, the Samurai shook his head.

"I wouldn't understand half of it anyways. You're the tea party's Strategist, so I trust you and your judgement. Plus I'm sure we're all on the same page when it comes to the state of Akiba... it can't stay like this forever considering we don't know when we'll be able to go home... if we can."

While they all nodded their heads, the meeting got cut short, Soujiro had so much more he wanted to say, but his guild needed him for something. Saying their farewells, they parted ways, the Samurai was walking back to his guild when the telepathy went ringing once more, it was Shiroe.

"Did you forget something, Shiro-senpai?" He smiled as he teased the older male.

"There's something else I want to say... but would you like to meet up maybe in an hour?" Soujiro's knees nearly gave out on him.

Smiling, he could feel his body tensing up, just like what happened the last time they met in person. "Yes, I'm going to see what's happening with the West Wind Brigade. I'll call you when I'm finished with what I'm doing... I'll also let my guild know what's going on, if that's okay with you."

"Go for it, the faster the news travels, the better at this point." He said, seeming relieved that Soujiro was so willing to help the older man with his plans.

"Okay, talk to you in a bit... be safe out there Shiro-senpai..."

"Don't worry, I've got my body guard over here..." He laughed as the Samurai could hear Nyanta talking in the background, although he couldn't quite make out what the other male was saying. "Talk to you in a bit, Soujiro-chan."

Ending the conversation, he entered the building just in time to be bombarded with questions about how the meeting went.

"Apparently Shiro-senpai has a clear idea about what to do with the current PK situation, he wants our help with things. Tomorrow I need to speak to a couple of the bigger guild leaders to try and organize a meeting of sorts." To that comment, Dolce wrapped his one arm around the younger male's shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll be fine in that area, you're well known by all the bigger guilds, and if the tea party's Strategist says you're the one, I'm not going to tell him he's wrong." The Bard stated playfully as Soujiro smiled warmly at the compliment.

Nazuna began explaining why Soujiro was called back so early. "We saw some suspicious characters hanging around here..." She started, "... we all wanted to make sure no weird encounters happened while you were on your way back."

Sighing, he wondered how he'd be able to meet up with Shiroe later if that was truly the case. "Thank you guys, I'm glad we're all trying to keep ourselves safe, and I'm sincerely hoping that Shiro-senpai's idea comes through for all of us here at Akihabara." He continued to smile, through his dismay at the opportunity to meet up with him slowly dropping off the deep end as they continued talking.

Nazuna, noticing her guild leader nodding off into his own little world once more waved her hands in front of his face as Dolce giggled to himself. "Let him be, Nazuna-chan. He's got a lot to think about considering all that's happened in such a short time." While just slightly listening to the conversation going on in front of him, he could hear a slight ringing, realizing it was Shiroe on telepathy once more, he immediately answered it.

"Shiro-senpai..." His voice drifted off...

Hearing the older male slightly chuckle to himself on the other line, he tried to stay calm in front of the girls that began surrounding him. "Hamelin seems to be bothering you too, I only noticed because a familiar character seems to be hanging around your building. Did something happen?" To this comment, Soujiro's knees gave out on him as he fell to the floor. He knew that they had to be safe because the guild may or may not have pissed off a couple of people with the recent incident, but he didn't know what that would lead to.

... He was followed home. Picking himself up with the help of Dolce, he apologized to both Shiroe and the, now worried, guild members and exited the room. "I need a moment to explain this to Shiroe, he noticed the same thing you guys did while making sure I was okay out there..." As they all nodded their heads, he closed the door behind him and explained the recent incident involving Magus and some members of Hamelin.

"Where the names of those twins you were helping named Minori and Tohya by chance, Shiro-senpai?" This time it was Shiroe's turn to be completely speechless for a few minutes.

After a few moments of silence and an apology, he continued. "Yes... am I guessing right in assuming they are in the Hamelin guild...?"

"Yes. I tried to help them... but I ended up getting myself into a bit of trouble... and it seems like that trouble has decided to follow me home..." It only took that one sentence for Shiroe to realize why Soujiro was so desperate for his plan to succeed. "I'm lucky to have the guild members I do... otherwise that battle could have ended very differently..."

"... I'm sorry this had to happen Soujiro-chan. I wish things didn't turn out like this..." He sounded so defeated it gave the Samurai the chills.

"Don't say that... none of this is your fault. In fact... I was the first one to be revived at the cathedral, if anything... it was my fault for proving that to be a thing, the player killing would be nowhere near as bad now had things been slightly different." Shocked, even the Debauchery Tea Party's Strategist didn't know how to respond to the Samurai's comment. It reminded him of what Demikas was like towards Serara... this worried him.

Walking towards the younger male's guild building, he wasted no time figuring out who was all there waiting for anyone to peep their head out. One of the names stuck out to him... he wasn't a member of Hamelin per say... but Soujiro hit the target. "Soujiro-san..."

Hearing different honorifics being associated with his name made his whole body freeze up. "What's wrong Shiro-senpai..."

"Make sure no one leaves the guild building tonight. I made sure Isaac-san was aware of the situation, but those people you spoke of... they are there. Keep your guard up." He warned as Soujiro realized that as he was warning him... the older male was probably outside watching everything.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way back to the main area, where everyone looked at Soujiro, worried. "Shiro-senpai, either come in here or go home. He can't do anything to us inside but if he finds out someone else is siding with us, it won't be the same for you." He made sure the remaining guild members could hear him as Dolce, Nazuna and Isami made their way to the rooftops of the building. Watching his expression change drastically made everyone else very well aware of what was going on just outside the walls they sat safely behind.

It didn't take long before he could hear a griffin call and landing from above. _'what's going on... just a moment ago we were fine and planning to make the city a better place for everyone who lives here...'_

The call ended abruptly, which caused Soujiro to panic... but not too long before the Enchanter was seen walking down the steps with Nazuna not far behind. "Hey, no one's going to dare try and stop someone when they're riding a griffin in the city. It's a griffin." She smiled as if she was just picking him up for a party, instead of saving him from... whatever Hamelin planned.

Soujiro's face instantly reverted from a death glare to his usual warm welcoming smile. "Thank goodness you're safe Shiro-senpai... the streets are not safe to wander alone at night right now..." Almost sounding a bit over-protective, Dolce did have a talk with him about that very behaviour earlier, but this was an entirely different situation.

Walking up towards the... much taller man (Soujiro noticed the height difference between his game self and Kei instantly), Soujiro turned towards everyone else. "I'll be right back, I think I've got some explaining I have to do..." Nodding their heads, they watched as the two walked towards Soujiro's room.

As Shiroe identified everyone camping out there to Soujiro, his expression dropped. "Yeah... things can be done now... that could never have been thought of trying back when this was just a simple computer game..." he sighed, explaining the poison to the Enchanter, who now looked concerned.

"Travel in groups tomorrow, just to be safe. I'll make sure Isaac-san is aware of this too... he seems rather annoyed too, but for different reasons I'm sure." Genuinely worried about the position the West Wind Brigade's leader was in, Shiroe wrapped his arms around the male apologetically as he could feel his body shaking. "You have people here who are here to protect you... okay?"

Feeling Soujiro's head nod, they both just stood there, the Samurai just wanted this moment to stay as his grip tightened around the older male.

"... I'm sorry." Confused, Soujiro let his arms drop and tried to make eye contact, how the light was hitting his glasses made it next to impossible to make out what emotion was behind that apology.

"Why are you sorry...? This isn't your fault Shiro-senpai..." Still confused, he didn't realize that Shiroe was changing the subject until, once again, it was too late and a light kiss was planted on the younger male's forehead. Feeling a warmness he couldn't quite explain, he just wrapped his arms back around the Enchanter's waist. "School sucks... I know..." they both chuckled at that comment. "I should apologize too, I didn't realize what really happened that day... until I was reminded of it later in a... dream." He didn't quite know how to describe the events of his first death in this game, so his only real response was to call it a dream until he found someone else who experienced the same type of weird vision that he did.

Time seemed to just slip away as they both stood there, just waiting for Soujiro's body to settle back down. Once the shaking ceased, they parted from the long embrace. "Thank you... Shiro-senpai..." blushing, this was something his mind reminded him of since they met the first time. Sitting down on his bed, the Samurai sighed heavily in relief. "I... really needed that... apparently..."

Feeling the tension in the room float away Shiroe took his cloak off and sat down, in front of Soujiro, on the floor. "You could sit here if you wanted, I don't think the floor is that comfortable..." He teased, heart pounding in his chest.

Waving his hand in front of his face the Enchanter smiled, but declined. "I'm fine here right now, I should probably head back to my qua-"

"You do realize that if I can't leave, then you certainly can't be out on your own, either. I at least have a chance at decent defence... Enchanter's are known for being a horrible class to go solo." Eyes darkened as murderous intent filled the young Samurai to the brim. He hated how bad things were getting, but he also hated this bind they were in... unable to step outside their own quarters past dark.

Not seeing this side of Soujiro, Shiroe instantly regretted bringing up the subject of going outdoors. But he also knew that the younger male was right, there wasn't really a better way of putting it other than maybe calling his other guild members down to help him get home... but weren't they all sleeping by now? He felt like a sitting duck with no options... and he didn't like that, one bit.

"... so it seems I'm crashing here for the night." He stood, nudging Soujiro's arm teasingly. "Where would I be for the night, considering the circumstance..."

"Here. No one's going to get in your business if you stay in here with me..." All the teal haired boy was concerned about, was how some people would be to the Enchanter sleeping on the couch or floor of the main area. He saw Shiroe's face meet the palm of his hand and quickly became confused.

Noticing the young man's confusion, he adjusted his glasses. "... when you're around Naotsugu for too long, your mind decides it wants to make a comment that he'd normally make..." Shaking his head, he chuckled to himself. "Don't worry about me, I'm just shocked that Akatsuki was not wrong about that..." He smiled as he laid his robe and pack down, making a make-shift bed and pillow. "Luckily these level 90 bodies don't care what surface one sleeps on."

"You know... this is a king size bed, you don't have to sleep on the floor, unless you're absolutely sure you're comfortable sleeping there..." Heart pounding and face burning, he turned his body to face the wall and curled up into a ball. Leaving lots of room for the other male to lay down if he so chose to. "You're stuck here on my accord, you shouldn't have to suffer because of it."

~*~*Meanwhile*~*~

Holding a cup to the door, Dolce couldn't help but let a bit of his curiosity get the best of him as Kyouko sat beside him. "Sooo... what are they talking about...?" The Guardian asked as Dolce felt like he was apart of a girls party, spying on an older brother.

"Sharing the bed, from the sounds of it." To his blunt comment, Fragrant Olive almost lost consciousness from the amount of blood that emitted from her poor nose. Luckily, Kurinon was ready with a box of tissues, handing them to her.

"I'm sorry..." She shyly whispered as Nazuna stood behind them.

"What seems to be the problem?" She smirked at the four sitting in front of their guild master's door, cup in hand and all. "Are you spying on Soujiro-kun...?" Her smirk widened as the group scrambled to try and hide what they were doing, quietly. "Oh please... continue, I'm curious myself." Crossing her arms, her fox ears twitched, "Unlike you guys, however, I can hear perfectly fine from right here..." Watching Fragrant Olive scramble to keep the blood from seeping through the tissues she was holding, she handed the woman another box.

"Th-th-thank you..." she said trying to calm herself. Before she could take the box, Nazuna dropped it while Dolce was desperately trying to keep a firm hold of his cup, to no avail.

Kyouko kept tapping him on the shoulder, "What happened, what happened? What did they say? What are they doing?"

"One question at a time please..." The purple haired male hushed the Guardian as he set the glass down and backed up. "I hear footsteps..." They all bolted into Nazuna's room and closed the door. "I think they're sharing a bed now... but that's unconfirmed."

"... you mean confirmed right? I can hear them both talking, about how much more people could fit on the bed." Nazuna teased as Kurinon continued to try calming Fragrant Olive as she laid almost unconsciously on the floor. "I think Sou-kun forgets how good my hearing can be sometimes..." She cooed as she watched the four in front of her begged her to spill the info more bluntly, in terms they could understand. "But what's the fun in that? Gotta keep it suspenseful."

Putting the glass up to the wall, Kyouko didn't realize just how close Soujiro was to that wall until she put her ear up to the said cup and nearly flipped her lid. "Okay... I think I can handle the suspense." She said, face red as a tomato. Nazuna nudged her on the arm and smirked.

"Spill it you two, what's going on in there..." The Cleric stared at Nazuna and Kyouko.

~*~*Soujiro's room*~*~

Heart pounding, he didn't care about anything else but the fact that he could see the man he had been wanting to see for a year. Happiness flowed and erased the murderous part that dwelled inside him. Sitting on the older male, practically straddling him, he chuckled. "Now you have to stay on the bed. This is a big enough bed for both of us, and if I have to force you to be comfortable, then I will. You're a guest, I have to treat it as such, right?" He argued, poking Shiroe's forehead.

"Force? As far as I'm concerned, I sat down... the only thing that's forced is the fact that you won't let me get ready to sleep. The straddling doesn't help any of us, you'll have to get up eventually." He teased, thinking of ways to get the, now playful, Samurai off of him. Before he could say anything further, the younger male bent down as their lips met for the first time since becoming stuck in the game they played. Feeling a smile form on the younger male's face, the Strategist's face burned as he let Soujiro have control of the situation, considering he had no idea where this could or would lead.

Once they broke away from the kiss, Shiroe noticed the warm smile that painted the younger male's face. "That, was for your form of goodbye you gave me at the train station. I had no idea what I was feeling, let alone them being mutual." Lightly kissing his forehead, he added, "... and that's for earlier. You calmed me right down to the core with that..."

"Oh... so you're thanking me by returning the favour, then?" The Strategist smirked, making the male on top of him blush and look the other way. "Oh don't get bashful now, you were pinning me down just seconds earlier..." Noticing the cheeks turn a darker shade of red, he decided to stop teasing the Samurai.

"Don't make me take it back..." He teased as he tried to calm his pounding heart. No matter how in-control he felt seconds earlier, it was still overwhelming, and it was catching up with him. Feeling the older male shift his weight, it took only a second for their faces to be only centimetres away from each other once more.

"How would you go about taking that back? No matter what, I'm not taking mine back. That's for keeps." Now his heart was pounding as they both had no experience in this particular scenario, nor did they care as they just stared at each other, contemplating what would happen next. None of them really know what experience the other had in said area, and because of such observation, Soujiro took a deep breath before kissing Shiroe once more, this time it ended with him biting the older male's lip playfully. Feeling a smirk spread across his face, his eyes met the grey eyes behind the round glasses. "... I don't think that counts as a take-back..." He whispered playfully, taking his glasses off and setting them on the floor next to them.

Trying to ride the waves of the situation, he let his body do the work for him, while his mind went wild. As their lips met once more, he forgot to breathe, pulling back to take a deep breath, Shiroe took full advantage and dove in for another. Not anticipating this, the young Samurai's heart skipped a beat as their tongues clashed. Feeling his whole body being picked up the position changed... leaving him, with his back on the bed, out of breath and speechless. Feeling his face continue to burn, Soujiro didn't know when that'd ever go away, his whole body felt like it was far too warm, inside and out.

"... I don't think I'll need the blankets tonight..." The comment made both of them almost completely snap out of their lust-filled moment as they laughed it off.

"Good night, Soujiro-san..." the Strategist smiled warmly as he got off the other male, wrapped himself in the blankets and closed his eyes.

Sitting up, he crawled towards Shiroe, kissing his forehead. "Told you the bed was comfy... Good night Shiro-senpai..." He chuckled to himself as he decided the blankets weren't necessary and fell asleep facing the wall.

 **~~AUTHOR'S NOTE~~**

 **Inspiration decided to hit me like a bus, and this is why the second chapter was posted SOOO quickly after the first one was. Don't really know how long this story is going to be or where it is going, other than it's going to be a SouxShiro/ShiroxSou story. Hope you guys enjoy it, considering I have had requests for it!**


	3. Chapter 3 It's a Date

Waking up to the sun shining in his eyes, Shiroe sat up, noticing instantly that he wasn't in his own bed. Taking him a minute to realize where he was, he almost panicked until he turned to find Soujiro, still fast asleep. Sighing in relief, he kissed the younger male's forehead, assuming he was asleep.

Adjusting his glasses once he got them on, he began walking around the West Wind Brigade's building. When he noticed how quiet it was... not having any idea how early or late it was, he assumed they were all sleeping, until he noticed a note on the couch near the exit that read:

Souji-san!

We went to do some light training. We're also helping Crescent Moon arrange the event that seems to be happening tomorrow. We'll give you a shout when we are on our way back. -Nazuna

Oi! Don't worry too much Soujiro-san, we're all in a group, no one is by themselves, so don't be too protective ~ Dolce

Smiling, he made his way back upstairs, _'maybe I should try and get a little more sleep...'_ Noticing the time, he agreed with his thoughts as he slowly tried to sneak back into bed, he turned his body around to a, fully awake, Soujiro.

"You sure made your way back quickly, Shiro-senpai..." he rubbed his eyes trying to seem more awake than he actually was.

"No one is home at the moment..." he shrugged his shoulders, "plus... it's far too early even for me." He added as he yawned and tried to close his eyes once more. Feeling arms wrap around him and a sudden warm sensation, he opened his eyes, only to find Soujiro face to face with him, noses touching with a huge grin planted carefully on the younger male's face.

Giving the Enchanter a light peck on the lips, he continued smiling, "Soo..." He started, carefully to see how the older male would react... so far he just noticed a slight pink tint on his cheeks. "Are you actually going to sleep... because I could just as easily leave you alone if you want."

Feeling his face burn, he didn't quite know how to react to the morning-playful Soujiro. He wanted to sleep, but the warmth felt nice, he wished that the younger male would just cuddle with him and sleep... so the warmth would stay. Wrapping his arms around the younger male, he smiled "I want to ... but I also want to have this little heater beside me..." He teased as he poked the Samurai on the forehead, then rolled over, making it so he was on top of the, now surprised Soujiro. "However... I don't think that's what your body has in mind this morning... is it?" Pushing up his glasses to keep them on his face, he noticed how red the younger male's face became just at the simple question.

Deciding he was a little too tired to keep his body up, he put most of his weight on the Samurai's body, feeling the warmth emitting from his face. As their faces were close once more, the grin did not leave the Enchanter's face. The, one playful Soujiro, had his full attention on the man laying on him and his body froze. Noticing the sudden change in body language, Shiroe quickly sat up. Kissing the male's forehead once more, he whispered an apology to the, still frozen Soujiro, and reduced the heated activity back into some light cuddling. "I'm still stealing your warmth, you're comfortable." He smiled as he took his glasses off to place them back where they were the night before.

Realizing the reaction he just had... and how it didn't match with his feelings of the situation... he felt bad. He did, however, enjoy the closeness they shared, and decided this was better than what his mind tried earlier. "Fine... I'll be your little heater, Kuroe..." he teased as they both fell asleep once more.

~*~*Two hours later*~*~

This time it was Soujiro's turn to wake up first, best sleep he had had since the Apocalypse. The silence gave him time to think, but the fact that the pillows were not even being used... he could hear a slight heartbeat. Smiling, he nuzzled himself slightly closer to Shiroe, and let his mind wander. It made him wonder why his body froze in fear those hours earlier... yes he had a frightening experience with another male not a week earlier (who followed him home, according to Shiroe), but this person, who currently lay sleeping next to him, was the one he wanted at the moment the events took place. However, the reaction had made things obvious to the younger male... the Enchanter was at least being careful... as careful as he was being about everything.

Heavily sighing, the Samurai didn't want to move, his stomach was trying to tell him differently. He decided to ignore that for the moment as he stared at the sleeping mage beside him. Noticing that he neglected to take his hair tie out, he forcefully took it out, and he felt much better after. Sitting up, his teal hair hung in every direction, he always seemed to forget just how long it was in game because it was usual tied back. Luckily he was able to manage it a lot easier here, than he would if he had tried back in the real world... or... the world outside the game. Running his fingers through it, it was smooth, un-knotted, which he still wasn't used to, because his short hair would tangle no matter how short he had it (mind you, he hated very short hairstyles). Looking at the older male's body laying next to him, he brushed Shiroe's bangs away from his face as he kissed the sleeping man's forehead.

Watching him react he noticed how quickly it went from surprise, to knowing exactly what was going on as he opened his eyes. "Never seen you without that hair tie before... your hair... so long..." Half tired, he chuckled quietly to himself as he tried to sit up. "Sorry for earlier, you looked like you were reliving that time you talked to me about..." he put his head in his hand almost in embarrassment.

"It's okay, Shiro-senpai... I wasn't expecting that reaction from myself... either." he half smiled. "By the way, is 10am still too early for the Villain in Glasses?" the Samurai teased.

"Hmmmm..." He started, still clearly looking groggy. "My body wants more sleep, but I know I need to be up, big plans are happening in a couple of hours." Putting on his glasses for the second time that morning, he looked at the younger male sitting next to him. "Now that I have my glasses on... you should probably fix your hair... it makes it look like we went through with our desires last night." He teased as Soujiro's face went a couple dark shades of red. He didn't realize just how mutual their feelings were, it was almost overwhelming to think about.

Getting out of bed, Soujiro realized just how long his hair was _'it's... growing...?'_ Not that it mattered, but he didn't know it could get longer than what it was before they became trapped in the game. "I think I'll fix that once I'm done eating... I'm starving..." Ignoring Shiroe's warning, he opened the door to Olive staring straight at him, noticing his, completely out of place hair, she waved at her guild leader with an, already bloodied cloth attached to her nose, and kept walking. Shutting the door behind him, he turned around, put his hair in his usual high pony tail, and reopened the door. "Why don't we try that again, Shiro-senpai?" He chuckled to himself as he made his way down the stairs.

"You looked really good with your hair down, Soujiro-san..." Olive was already fawning over him as Dolce kept an eye out in case she needed to be plucked away from the small Samurai once more.

All that could be heard from Soujiro was this nervous laugh... that none of them had heard previously. "It looked like a mess according to Shiro-senpai, didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea..." As he was finishing his sentence, he could feel an arm wrap around his shoulders.

"Oh? Wrong idea? I think my ears have all the right ideas that the hair just... doesn't do justice." Making sure her voice was quiet enough that no one else could hear her, Nazuna teased her, now blushing guild master, about what her fox ears could pick up.

If there was one thing, it was that Shiroe was too close to not hear her comment... and he couldn't quite get a good handle on pretending he didn't hear her as a slight pink tint touched his cheeks _'We didn't let it get out of hand... but they... Nazuna... doesn't know that...'_ Sighing, he decided to play along, knowing that was pretty much all he could do to get Soujiro out of the frying pan.

Nudging the fox on the shoulder, he whispered ever so softly into her ears, while adjusting his glasses. "If only you were here this morning..." Walking casually away, him and Soujiro knew nothing happened, but it wasn't like the group's thoughts weren't already wandering in that direction, he just gave them a slight shove further. Looking behind him, he noticed the slight change in the colour that painted the woman's cheeks as the Samurai slipped away to go grab some breakfast.

Watching Shiroe leave ten minutes later, he knew he needed to get himself fully ready for what was going to transpire that day. It took everything in him not to follow the Enchanter... with the convenient excuse of "Well he needs me to help him with this new plan of his..." But he knew, with whatever Shiroe told Nazuna earlier, that wasn't going to fly. So they all got ready while the five that were listening in on the two of them, could only think of what actually went on while they were gone this morning... while the other 58 members stared in straight confusion.

Watching the Strategist work his magic for the next while amazed everyone, and how he managed to get the ball rolling on the fly was even more magnificent to witness. The food turned out to be delicious, although he had no idea how they managed to make it NOT taste like soggy rice crackers with no salt. Whatever it was, he was knee deep in it, and continued to follow whatever the man behind the operation said to. Visited bigger guilds like D.D.D., Black Sword Knights, and Silver Sword, to try and get them involved, it's like Shiroe knew they all couldn't say no to the little Samurai. When everyone showed up for the first meeting, only one guild left, everyone else agreed to the terms of making the place more livable. Hearing his amazing speech, made him believe that things could really be better... and people like Magus couldn't do harm anymore.

Once the meeting was over, they were informed that Hamelin was disbanded, that all the children trapped there were set free. So not only did he arrange the Round Table... but he used the ability he was given, to make it safer, and show an example out of anyone who tries to break the rules Shiroe had put in place. Standing in the room completely flabbergasted, he didn't quite know what to make of the situation... he was finally safe to roam the streets without fear of what that male could do.

Getting a call, he noticed it was the villain himself. Answering, the first thing he heard, made his whole body go limp. "You're safe, too now. Like I told you before, you have people who are here to protect you too. Okay?" Smiling a big wide smile, he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. Before he could trying and protect his guild from harm, the one person he wanted to save him, did that without even making a second thought about it.

"Thank you, Shiro-senpai..." Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep himself calm as he sat on the floor of the Round Table Conference room. "Are Minori-chan and Tohya-chan okay?"

"Yes... I was talking to Minori-chan the entire time I was putting the plan into motion, to make sure she knew she was not staying there forever." Another breath of relief flowed from Soujiro as he attempted to stand again slowly. Not noticing the conversation had ended, he turned around to find Shiroe standing behind him. Walking towards him, he let the older male wrap his arms around him in a tight hug as he relaxed into it, wrapping his arms around the older male. "I couldn't help but hear the acoustics and realized you were still here... are you okay?" feeling the Samurai nod his head and tighten his grip, they stood like that for, what seemed like forever.

"It's going to take some time, I understand that... but now you can focus on other things now. You don't have to hide anymore, okay?" Looking Soujiro dead in the eye, he could see the fear seep through his eyes and disappear, his walls crumble as a smile (a genuine one) slowly formed on his face.

Taking a couple more deep breaths, he was speechless... no idea as to how to thank him. "...Thank you... Shiro-senpai..." He started with a simple thank you, knowing he had nothing else he could really do... heck he could barely stand at the current moment. When they were finally able to, they both walked out of the conference room, smiling dawning their faces.

"We still got a long way to go... but it's definitely worth it knowing we'll be a much safer place to live an adventure now." The Debauchery Tea Party's strategist looked straight ahead, he knew what he had to do, and he was one step closer to achieving it, and with everyone else's help, he knew he would. Soujiro knew it wouldn't be long before more people noticed the brilliance that surrounded the villain, and for that, he was grateful.

Weeks past, they both became very busy people, but they always managed to find time to have at least a five minute voice chat.

"Let's make this a little different than last time, I'd rather not lose touch again..." He reassured the younger male the first time he called him after a week of a constant busy schedule... like yeah sure they saw each other on a weekly basis at the Round Table Conference. But that was slightly different than it just being them talking. The fact that everyone was safe in Akiba made everything a lot easier to do... and the food taste so much better.

Not missing a beat, Nazuna and Dolce always had to ask questions about the two. Soujiro knew how much Nazuna knew, but not a thing about Dolce, so he just assumed they knew just as much and let the two know of the situation... it felt better to talk about it. Not long after that, he noticed how Minori and Akatsuki acted around him. He didn't seem to notice, but the Samurai noticed more than he usually is used to noticing when it comes to female behaviour... it kind of made him jealous. Dolce always had a way with words, joking and teasing trying to lighten the situation every chance he got.

"It looks so forceful, almost feel sorry for the guy, seems so funny how hidden, and yet how obvious you two are." Nazuna said as they all shared their cakes, Soujiro couldn't help but blush at the sudden comment. "Oh come on... the way you two look at each other... the other members of the West Wind Brigade know now. They just don't want to assume too much..." Chuckling, Dolce nodded in agreement as Kyouko gave him the thumbs up.

"It sucks, but hey, we support you anyways! Even when it's just a simple request... SOO many things can be said." The Guardian said, handing him another piece of cake to attempt to eat. "You should go talk to him... tonight..." She cooed in his ear. "I think you're both free of any business-like things." It didn't take him long to agree with her.

"But is he free from personal affairs." Soujiro laughed, pointing at the, now petrified of cakes, Shiroe. "I think he'll have his hands quite full tonight."

"Do it anyways... help him free his hands." Kurinon smirked, looking at Olive, who was directly across the table from her. "I think he'd like to see you tonight... don't you think Souji-san?"

"Wow... he's feeling the pressure guys, take a chill pill on the poor guy..." Isami smiled, gingerly eating a piece of black forest cake.

So it was safe to say Soujiro didn't have much of a choice but to go see Shiroe that night. No one else in his guild would have it any other way. Taking a deep breath, he didn't know whether to surprise him or phone him first. Considering he might not get an answer if it's too late, he decided the second option was really the only one he was capable of doing.

The remaining portion of the day was spent thinking of what they would do with the evening... He would figure that would on the fly once they got together.

~*~*Meanwhile*~*~

Later that evening, he felt like he was going to burst from all the cake that was shoved down his throat. The drink that Naotsugu and Marielle poured down his throat... didn't help that either. Why Akatsuki and Minori were so aggressive, he'll never know, but Shiroe finally had some piece and quiet, and he had to take advantage of it. That is, until Akatsuki appeared, randomly, like normal.

"Feeling okay? You look old when you think hard about something..." the assassin said completely straight-faced as he smiled. When she asked if he wanted to talk, it caught him off guard.

"What is it that you would like to talk about, Akatsuki-san?" He said, completely confused as to what she meant, which made them both sit there awkwardly staring at the sky above. "Sorry... I'm stumped on what to talk about... might be just my tired brain talking."

All that was on his mind, was the crazy amount of cake he had that day... it still didn't agree with his stomach at all... and maybe something else, he wasn't all that sure, his decisions were still a little foggy... not enough sleep? Maybe the drinks... the whole event was crazy, looking in her direction, he noticed how close she was all of a sudden. "Shi-kun, you've got something stuck here..." She said, purple eyes zooming in on the object she was getting rid of. Backing away, she apologized for being too close.

Waving his hand, he chuckled to himself, "It's alright, thank you, Akatsuki-san."

"Get some rest, Shi-kun..." She said sincerely before vanishing before his eyes once more.

 _'That might just be the best idea anyone has had for me yet...'_ He smiled as he made his way back inside, just as he was about to open his door, a telepathy call began, it was Soujiro.

"Evening, Soujiro-san. How was your day?" He smiled, two conversations in a day normally didn't happen, so he was kind of relieved that it could happen once in a while.

"Probably better than yours, considering how much cake you had..." Soujiro giggled as Shiroe just sighed.

"Please don't remind me... my stomach still hurts..." he groaned as he looked up at the star-lit sky.

Taking a deep breath, he felt like his stomach was doing back flips... Dolce and Nazuna behind him really didn't help. "I was just calling to see if we could meet up? Since we both aren't tangled in affairs and whatnot, it doesn't have to be lo-"

"I'll be on my way... At least one of us is on top of things this evening... the cake is hitting me pretty hard, felt like I had a whole turkey dinner today." They both laughed. "I'll talk to you in a bit, might as well hurry before I get caught up in more shenanigans again..." He could hear Shiroe struggle to say something else... but he couldn't make it out.

Smiling warmly at the rushing Enchanter, "See you soon then, work off that cake, be safe out there, okay?"

"I'm still here, aren't I? Well, I'm on my way now... see you soon." The call ended shortly after that. Not a single person in the room could make out what the Enchanter struggled to say... aside from the one with the fox ears protruding from her purple hair. Her jaw was completely dropped. Trying not to ruin the surprise, she quickly popped her jaw back in place.

"Sounds like a date, Soooouuuji-kuuun." Nazuna teased, while trying to fight the urge to ask Soujiro if he could make out that last bit of the conversation, considering she could just barely make it out... she imagined he could not.

"Well..." Dolce pulled all the ladies together in a group. "Let's have a ladies night!" He smiled as he dragged Nazuna away from the guild leader.

Pacing back and forth nervously... he didn't know what to do... it went from being very secret, to being a discussion the entire West Wind Brigade seemed to have behind their leader's back. They wanted something to happen, and they made sure it would happen promptly the way they wanted it to happen. What was he going to tell Shiroe "Oh, the whole entire guild of 63 people decided to simultaneously go out on an adventure, leaving nothing but their leader for the night, and they conveniently left right before you showed up." Because yes, that made so much scene and didn't sound the least bit suspicious. Hearing a knock meant he no longer had time to explain anything. Running to the door, he didn't realize his shoes were off until much too late as he slid a bit too fast towards the door. Shiroe, upon hearing his name, opened the door to find the Samurai on the floor in front of the door.

"I'm not even going to ask..." He started chuckling to himself as he helped the Samurai back onto his feet. "Are you okay?" The Enchanter noticed a nod coming from the younger male.

Closing the door behind them, that was when Shiroe noticed how quiet it was. "Where is everyone else?"

Deciding that saying the truth was the only thing that he could do... he did just that. "Well... they arranged this whole thing... you see..." pointing at the kitchen area, and the rest of the house... along with the hot springs area. "Word kind of spread... to... everyone... apparently Nazuna-san thinks nothing should be secret in a guild such as this." His face went multiple shades of dark red. "They left the moment the confirmation happened that you were on your way... and in a pretty big hurry. You see... they think we're dating." He laughed nervously.

Turning around to face Shiroe, he didn't realize how close the other male was... until it was a tad too late. The kiss was far too soft to last, and the smile was too warm to disappear. "Would you like... to make that... official...?" Left completely speechless, he just stared into the other male's grey eyes and smiled the best smile he could muster. Noticing that he was completely speechless, the Enchanter was about to straighten himself out, when a hand pulled him closer than they were previously, and their lips met once more.

It didn't take him long to realize this, passionate kiss was his answer. Smiling into it, he let his body do the thinking as he attempted to see just how strong this level 90 body of his was, by picking up the younger male with success. Without any hesitation, he could feel legs wrap around his waist, to secure said position. Feeling the grip tighten, he stood there, shocked at the sudden passion. Breaking from the kiss, they both struggled to breath as they just stared at each other.

"Any particular reason you lifted me up?" Soujiro asked curiously as they began walking around.

"Still trying to figure that part out, I was just seeing if I could... now I'm stumped..." His response made both of them chuckle. "You tell me what makes you comfortable right now, because I can easily put you down if necessary."

Making note of the scenario they were in, he threw the hair tie on the floor, "Let's see what the night has in store for us, shall we, Shiro-senpai?" Putting him down, he let the Samurai lead him around the house. Finally spotting him, sitting on the counter in the kitchen, Shiroe cringed at the sight of the cake on the table. "The cake is not your concern, don't worry about that..." Soujiro giggled as he pulled the mage closer to him. "What do you want to do, we have this place to ourselves..."

He knew exactly where the Samurai was going with that as he felt the younger male's legs wrap around him once more. Taking a deep breath and adjusting his glasses, a dark smile replaced the warm smile from earlier. "I'm thinking of continuing where we left off the last time..."

Noting Shiroe's sudden change in tone made Soujiro very glad he was sitting and not... failing to stand. Feeling the warmth of the Enchanter's breath on the back of his neck, and the strange sensation that went along with the various amount of biting along the side of his neck, The Samurai could no longer feel his lower half as he now struggled to keep his body close.

Feeling hot and heavy, his clothing felt like lead as their lips locked once more. With a fist-full of hair, Shiroe took no time in tugging that said fist-full, leaving the male's collarbone exposed while his scarf only dangled there, hanging on for dear life. Letting go of Soujiro's hair, it took only a mere second before the male started falling backwards. Letting a hand rest on his mid-back, he looked at the younger male before him, trying to make eye-contact. When their eyes finally met, it almost didn't sink in what the glazed look in the Samurai's eyes meant... that is, until his grip tightened once more and he regain his balance. Leaning in close, he begged for the mage to continue, he wasted no time telling him what he wanted.

Puling him in closer, they engaged in yet another passionate kiss as the scarf finally made it's way towards the ground. That said, it wasn't too much longer before the Samurai's shirt went with it. Noticing that Shiroe still had his cloak on, that was next to hit the floor as Soujiro tried to make things a little more even between the two. Although instead of going straight for the turtle neck, Soujiro smirked into the kiss as the belt was easily disposed of, letting the Enchanter's pants fall to the floor.

Breaking from the kiss, the navy blue haired male was still showing his devilish grin, looking around at their current situation, an his extreme lacking of pants. "Oh?" noticing the Samurai's expression change, he realized that not only did the younger male still have the bottom half of his attire still on, but the counter was... slightly too high to go any further. Chuckling to himself, he wrapped his arms around him, and went to pick him up once more.

Grabbing some hair from the back of Shiroe's head, Soujiro didn't question the older male's motives as their lips clashed once more. Trying to make their way to the guild master's room, they didn't anticipate any issues... quite like a simple flight of stairs. Pretty much saying fuck it, the mage pinned Soujiro against the wall, feelings his hands lightly play with his navy blue hair.

Smiling into the kiss, he knew where they were supposed to go, and didn't quite get what stopped them from going there. Giving the mage a nice shove in the right direction, the young Samurai began slowly grinding his hips away from the wall, in return he ended up getting his lip bitten. "Someone must want something bad, Soujiro-san..." Using one hand and the wall to keep the young male up, he made sure to adjust his glasses, although at some point he would need to take them off.

"Someone... not naming names... is taking his _sweet time_ doing what's being asked of him..." Bedroom eyes showed that only one thing remained on the Samurai's mind as he continued bucking his hips forward against Shiroe's. It didn't take too much more time before Soujiro began openly begging again... and not necessarily in the blunt fashion. But whatever was in those drinks earlier, was making it all the more arousing for the mage. Biting his own lip, the sensations coming from beneath the waistline of his boxers was staring to become a little more than overwhelming as his breathing became increasingly more harsh by the minute.

Deciding not to use much more of his strength to hold the younger male up, he left him pinned against the wall beside the stairs, but his feet touched the group for the first time in quite a while. Soujiro didn't quite know how long he was going to be able to keep himself standing, but he predicted not for too much longer as Shiroe began leaving a trail of bruises from biting all the way down his midsection. Popping back up to face the Samurai, their lips met once more as he removed the remaining bits of clothing from Soujiro, with relative ease.

"Are you able to walk... or should I just continue here where we stand." Feeling the other male's grip on his shoulders answered the question for him before he attempted anything further. Kissing his neck gingerly, Shiroe continued to whisper more sweet nothings in Soujiro's ear as the younger male could feel his legs slowly giving out on him.

"Shiro..." Those eyes looking up at him, his whole body shaking as he held on to the mage's shoulder's for dear life. "...I can't stand..." he begged.

Pushing some of the long locks of teal hair, he bit the Samurai's ear. "Just hold out a little longer..." he cooed, caressing the bare back of the male, letting his hands wander towards his hips and, without warning, pressed them against the wall as he made his downwards decent.

Letting his long hair dangle in front of his face, he let the Enchanter's shoulders be what he leaned on, however, once he felt a strange, warmth take him all in, his left hand was the only support he had as he bit down hard on the right. Feeling his whole body shake almost uncontrollably, he could feel the sensation of the mage's mouth as he continued to struggle to stand. Eventually both hands ended up back on the other male's shoulder's for support as harsh breathing turned into low moans.

Biting his bottom lip, Soujiro's eyes closed as he felt Shiroe's mouth concentrate on just the tip. He didn't quite know how much longer he was going to last before falling over, and he'd rather not have that happen right now. What he thought was going to be a quiet request turned into a, much louder moan, begging the mage to have his way with him... upstairs (the less mess, the better... as for falling over...).

Feeling a hot tongue make it's way up the shaft, he stopped abruptly, looking up at the lust-filled eyes that stared back at him. "More begging?" Cupping Soujiro's face in his hands, he smiled softly as he gave him a deep kiss. Breaking from the kiss, he, very half assed, pulled the other male's pants up, picked him back up and proceeded up the stairs. Before the other male could question his motives, he reassured him, "Don't worry, they won't stay on..." he teased as he kicked the door open.

Setting Soujiro down on the bed, he placed his glasses in a safe place where they wouldn't get trampled on, and the pants went flying seconds later. "See, told you they wouldn't stay on..." the mage smirked as he went face to face with bedroom eyes.

Sitting up, he made his way towards Shiroe, tugging at his shirt. "That... needs to come off..." he basically demanded as a devilish grin painted the younger male's face. The Enchanter took no time removing the turtle neck as the Samurai motioned him to join him on the giant bed. Blushing, he decided it was his turn to repay the older male in front of him. "It's my turn... Shiroe..." Dropping the honorifics for the second time that night, the mage didn't seem to notice, or care, as the smirk remained on his face.

"Oh really?" Not all that sure what that meant, he decided to test the waters, see just how far Soujiro was willing to go, and basically handed him the ropes as the younger male pinned him to the bed.

"You didn't think you'd go this whole night without getting some attention, did you?" Letting a finger softly stroke the hardened length through his boxers. The smirk instantly dropped from Shiroe's face and a gasp escaped his lips as he felt a hand slip underneath his boxers, exploring what lay beneath the waistline, and grip tightly. Leaning in for another kiss, the Samurai attempted to make it a light kiss, teasingly until a hand put pressure on the back of his head, deepening the kiss. Smiling into the kiss, he loosened his grip, and began stroking the shaft ever so lightly, earning a couple of deep moans from the male beneath him.

Feeling the older male moan into the kiss, he felt his own legs shake... he hated his body for being this sensitive at this particular moment. Breaking from the kiss, Shiroe struggled for breath as Soujiro remained on top of him, continuing to stroke him as he planted little kisses on every inch of the mage's upper body. Making his downward decent, he took no time in removing the boxers, this part he was going to have to experiment on. Considering it seemed they both had just about as much experience as each other, he took every inch of the Enchanter in his mouth, feeling the male beneath him grab a fist-full of hair once more. Concentrating all his mouth's energy on pleasing the person beneath him, anything that made him moan in pleasure was something worth continuing with, the harder he sucked, he noticed the male throw his head back, profanities escaping his lips.

Smiling, he loved getting a reaction from the mage for his efforts, but this wasn't all that he wanted to do. Stopping almost too abruptly, he made his way back up to be face to face with the, now blushing, Shiroe. "I'm not quite done yet..." he cooed, taking a deep breath as he stared the blushing Enchanter in the eyes as he inserted the first finger. Hearing the moans and seeing his hips grind into it, he played him like a fiddle, stretching him this was and that, preparing the older male for the second finger. Covering Shiroe's mouth with his own, Soujiro took no time in making sure the other male was fully enjoying himself before the third one went in. Breaking from the kiss, the loud moans filled the room as he begged the younger male not to stop.

In between moans, he seemed to struggle to say something more to the one pleasuring him. "... is that a sign for me to slow down, Shiroe?" He teased as the male beneath him bit his own lower lip hard.

"Please..." he started, hearing him beg was making it near impossible for Soujiro to continue, "... fuck me..." throwing his head back, the mage gripped the sheets hard as his breathing quickened.

Coming to a dead stop, the dark smile that once painted Shiroe's face was now on Soujiro's face as he came to the solution that since lube wasn't a thing in game, that it really wasn't necessary. "If that's the case," he started, "then you should probably get on your knees..." he cooed, moving his body slightly back to make it easier. Noticing the other male's full body shaking, he knew it'd take only a matter of minutes before the mage was exhausted.

Taking a firm hold of his pale hips, he slowly made his way inside, a near scream could be heard from Shiroe's mouth as this new-found pleasure took a hold of both of them. Slowly grinding his hips, he could hear his own name being said... quite loudly as he slowly quickened the pace, letting the Enchanter's name flow out of his mouth as he dug his nails into the male's hips. Taking his time, he teased the other male with light thrusts, watching him squirm in ecstasy. However, it did not take long before he began begging for more.

"...Harder..." he moaned, grinding his hips in time with each thrust of the Samurai's re-entry. Being the smart-ass that he was, he responded as such, still the slow pace, but each re-entry made his toes curl.

Continuing to moan, Shiroe had next to no control over his vocal chords, but he wanted more, so much more, his body was begging for it and he just needed to put it into words. "...please..." he began.

"Please what...?" the Samurai teased, knowing exactly what the male was begging for, and he wanted it bad enough to let him have what he wanted, he just wanted to hear the Enchanter beg for it.

Noticing the lack of pillows that were on the bed, there was no real way to muffle anything, not that either of them cared as they moaned freely with each and every thrust. Feeling the muscles around his hard length tighten, it was Soujiro's turn to throw his head back, the pleasure becoming almost unbearable.

No matter how in control of his body he thought he was, all Shiroe could do was beg the Samurai to go faster as he could feel his legs begin to try giving out on him. Feeling a hand wrap around his, now dripping, cock, it was all he could do to keep himself up as Soujiro began pumping awfully fast. Feeling tears and sweat stream down his face, with both pleasure spots being played with, he practically pulled the sheets off the bed, body shaking fierce-fully.

Noticing that he was about to climax, he stopped... abruptly, everything he was doing just seconds earlier. Despite Shiroe's extreme lack of strength seconds earlier, he still had enough to switch the situation completely around, leaving Soujiro in complete shock and on his back.

Getting close to the younger man's ear, he cooed. "Now it's _my turn_ , and I won't be so easy on you..." as he completely skipped the first finger and moved right onto the second one, letting all his moans spill into the mage's mouth as their tongues clashed. He didn't wait very long before inserting third, and that only lasted a few moments before he dove in, feeling Soujiro's nails dig deep into his back and moans entering his mouth. Taking no time, he upped the pace quickly, giving the Samurai no real time to react in any other way but to scream the mage's name. Not willing to fight back anything, moan were quickly being released as the muscles around his shaft tightened. "Fuck..." being able to see Soujiro desperately grip at anything he could with his head thrown back, drove him pretty close to finishing.

Watching him grip his own hair, he leaned in for a lust-filled kiss filled with moans of pure pleasure. Feeling his whole body shake once more, he knew it was only a matter of time now, as he returned the favour the Samurai did earlier, and took a firm hold of his hardened length. As they broke from the kiss, this action earned him the sound of his own name echoing throughout the entire room even with Soujiro's hands covering his mouth. With the non-stop begging for Shiroe not to stop, it wasn't soon after that, that he came, and the muscles tightly clenching Shiroe made it next to impossible for him not to follow suit shortly after.

As the mage flopped down on the left side of the teal haired Samurai, they both just sprawled out, finding out that breathing was definitely a thing they needed to do. It only took a few minutes for the "in game mechanics of self washing" went into effect.

"Even after this..." Soujiro started, "should we attempt... the hot springs... downstairs..." He turned his head to an, already sleeping Shiroe. Smiling, he went to go get his shirt, scarf and Shiroe's cloak and pants from downstairs when the sleeping man beside him said otherwise, clinging to him.

"Don't leave..." he whined, softly. Soujiro couldn't say no to that as he decided to lay down and join the cuddles he was currently receiving.

~*~*Meanwhile*~*~

"... Guess we should've given them a bit longer..." Dolce blinked twice. Kurinon walked in the door just in time to see him and Nazuna standing there, speechless.

"Did my perviness finally come in handy? I told you it was going to be a while, considering it's probably their first and all..." Without missing a beat, she knew everything that had transpired, without being in the building to hear it, quite like Dolce and Nazuna.


End file.
